It's been quite a long time since my last update of this column,
a selection of interesting news on the technical aviation sector.
- Maiden flights and roll-outs:
  VisionAire Vantage composite single engine bizjet,
  Jetcruzer 500 single engine turboprop pusher,
  Indonesia's IPTN N250 twin engine commuter,
  F-22 Raptor serial production fighter,
  Zeppelin NT rigid airship,
  MD X-36 unmanned demonstrator to prove stable flight without fin/rudder,
  MD YC-15, again after 18 years being mothballed, as flying testbed
  Kamow Ka-52 Alligator two-seater recon chopper, derived from Ka-50,
  Scaled Composites (Rutan) twin engine composite light bizjet
   demonstrator V-Jet 2,
  Airbus A330-200,
  Aero Vodochody L-159 light jetfighter
  Some more new aircrafts:
    Extra 400 single engine bizprop,
    Diamond Katana 4-seater,
    Antonov An-38 twin engine commuter,
    Berijev Be-103 6-seater amphibian
- Simula is developing airbags for military helicopters that should
  reduce fatal injuries caused by crashes.
- Fairchild Dornier is working on a jet powered derivative of its
  328 commuter. Roll-out is expected to take place in December.
- NASA is going to fund Scramjet research in the Mach 5 to 10 regime
  with the development of four unmanned hypersonic 12ft long testbeds
  to be built by MicroCraft. First launches by a B-52 should commence
  in late 1998.
- Lockheed-Martin is investigating into a C-141/KC-135 follow-on, called
  NSA (New Strategic Aircraft). Apart from a conventional high wing
  design a blended wing and a promising diamond shaped design is being
  studied.
- Five new Me-262 WW2-jetplanes are under construction, built by
  Herbert Tischler of Texas Airplane Factory. He hopes to see the first
  one taking off by the end of the year. These replicas are assembled
  as close to the original bird as possible, engines will be old surplus
  refurbished J85-GE-17A.
- NASA is currently testing X-38 reentry vehicle demonstrators that should
  lead to full scale Crew Return Vehicles for the Space Station. The X-38
  looks much like the vintage X-24.
- South-Korean Samsung and Lockheed-Martin announced the development
  of the KTX-2 jet trainer and light attack aircraft.
- Rotary Rocket Company plans to develop a single stage to low orbit
  vehicle ROTON with unpreceded low payload costs that returns to earth by
  means of a deployed rotor in the nose.
--- CrossPoint v3.02 R
---------------